It has shockingly emerged that senior doctors at L.H. Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, turned a blind eye to the ongoing kidney racket for more than a month before the police finally busted it.
The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) report, a copy of which is with The Asian Age, reveals that authorities sent letters as early as June 3 to the hospital’s CEO Dr Sujit Chatterjee and medical director Dr Anurag Naik, informing them about the possibility of a kidney transplant racket going on at the hospital. However, the duo did not even respond to the letters, let alone acting on them.
The eight-page report prepared by a three-member panel of the DHS was submitted to Mumbai police on August 6, three days before the arrest of five doctors: Dr Chatterjee, Dr Naik, Dr Mukesh Shete, Dr Mukesh Shah, and Dr Prakash Chandra Shetty. According to the DHS report, on June 3, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) wrote a letter number 12858-77/2016 to Dr Chatterjee and Dr Naik stating that the organ transplant coordinator of the hospital was taking money. The DHS, after gaining knowledge of this letter, asked both Dr Chatterjee and Dr Naik about it when they appeared before the panel on the kidney scam. As per the report, “Dr Chatterjee did not take any precaution about the DMER letter and (when asked,) replied, ‘Do we have to revert to your letter ’ whereas Dr Naik admitted that they should have replied and said, ‘I accept this mistake’.” Further, the report had a page on how each of the five doctors breached provisions of the Transplant of Human Organs Act.
It stated that even the owner of Hiranandani Hospital was asked to appear before the panel, but failed to do so.
About questioning nephrologist Dr Mukesh Shete on July 20, the report revealed that he met with the donor in this case, Shobha Thakur, on three different occasions. She was made to undergo tests at two places – Saifee Hospital and Gaondevi Lab. The report said, “There is no record (OPD papers of examining, evaluating and explaining to the donor about complications which have to be maintained by doctors and hospitals for 15 years).” It further said that the designation of Dr Shete at the hospital was not clear. “There is discrepancy between the statements of Dr Chatterjee and Dr Shete. It is unclear whether he is part of Apex Kidney Foundation and their MoU with the hospital, or an independent nephrology consultant directly appointed by the hospital,” it stated.
About questioning Dr Naik the same day, the report stated that Dr Naik refuted the fact that he was head of the hospital and a competent authority. “Despite being the medical director, he had not seen forms 2, 6, and 11 of transplant patients Rekha and Brijkishore. He had not been responsible enough to see that transplant documents were checked by the consultant and administrative division of the hospital before going to the authorisation committee,-" the report said.
The report implicated Dr Chatterjee, alleging that he was unaware about rules and procedures laid down under the Transplant of Human Organs Act and had not put in place proper protocol for visiting members of staff. “He has not set up protocol or SOP, there is no fulltime urologist or nephrologist in his hospital, and there is no clarity whether the urologist and nephrologist are visiting or there is a MoU with Apex Kidney Foundation. Dr Chatterjee has no fixed schedule for meeting transplant consultants,” claims the report. It said that all five doctors pleaded ignorance when asked whether they knew in detail the rules mentioned under Transplant of Human Organs Act.
About urologist and transplant surgeon Dr Shetty, the report revealed, “He met the donor a day prior to the surgery. However, indoor notes of the donor do not mention that Dr Shetty explained the complications of the surgery.” It went on to state that though Dr Shetty had started the surgery, when questioned, he said he was not sure whether he was responsible for the surgery.
The report was prepared by Dr Gauri Rathod, assistant director, DHS; Dr Sujata Patwardhan, HOD, Urologym KEM hospital; and Dr Kalpana Mehta, HOD, nephrology, BYL Nair hospital. It was supervised by Dr Mohan Jadhav, Director, DHS.
